A ceremony of opening of the first-on-campus mother-and-child room has been held at Dormitory No.3 of South Ural State University. This place was created specially for students with a very important life status, “mother” and “father”, so that they could take a break from the bustle and take care of their children.
The decision to open this room had been made in order to take into account the needs of the residents: many student couples with kids live in dormitories No.3 and No.8 located near each other. The university administration had taken into consideration their needs and had decided to create a space, where young parents could feel the calm and comfort.
“In 2024, a wonderful program “Help Mum Study” was launched. Our university immediately expressed our interest to participate in it. This year, we have submitted an application and it has been approved. And already today, we are opening the mother-and-child room at SUSU. We performed an analysis and saw that there was indeed a need for such a space. More than 150 teaching staff members of our university have little children. Among students, there are also many parents, including married couples. Namely for these people we have created this room: so that each of them has an opportunity to safely and comfortably combine studying and being parents during the educational process. You can spend time with your child here, change his/her clothes, feed and play with them, give them rest and restore your emotional strength yourself,” shared SUSU Vice-Rector for Student and Social Affairs Anastasiia Lapo.
Each detail in this new space makes you feel cosy, just like at home. Here you can find a comfortable sofa set to feed your child, a convenient baby changing table, spots where you can relax, let your child take a nap, play learning games with him/her, or read books. This space is filled with light and warmth – just the way it should be in a place where a child is growing.
SUSU 3rd-year student Eva Petrova, who is studying Ecology and together with her husband is raising their daughter Katia of one year and a half, shared her impressions of the new space:
“We live in a dormitory, and of course there is not enough space for a child. After this room opened, it has become much better: here Katia has a corner of her own, where she can play, as there are many different toys here. It’s hard to study and simultaneously be a mother, but my husband helps me a lot, he supports me in everything. I think, we will be coming here almost every day: to amuse our child, so that I could take time and do my assignments for studies or write my course papers.”
Opening of the first mother-and-child room is an important step for our university as it strives to improve the conditions and the system of support for each student. In the future, such rooms may open at other university buildings on campus, so that even more young families could feel the comfort and attention.
“Each detail in this room is a result of work of the Extracurricular Activities Office and the Estates and Facilities Office of our university. Everything here is thought out to the last detail and with care for young parents and their children. I’m sure that every mother together with her child will feel warm and comfortable here. This room is intended for children under seven and we tried to make it interesting and comfortable for everyone,” noted Head of the SUSU Extracurricular Activities Office Svetana Iudochkina.
South Ural State University is a big close-knit family. Here all students can be sure that they will not only obtain quality education, but will also receive the help and support they need. You can find detailed information about the support for student families here.